The present invention relates to a portable work surface which can be assembled for use and unassembled for storage and transport.
The field of portable work surfaces, also sometimes referred to as sawhorses, is well known as evidenced by the following patents issued to Poffenbaugh et al., Kroger, Weeks, Stansberry, De Vries, Chaput and Hearn. However, none of the current patents issued for portable work surfaces are as easily erectable or broken down for transportation as the current invention. The present invention can easily be used for standing or sitting on, allowing a person using it to freely move about such as is required when painting or performing home repairs. The work support member is of a size much larger that what is known in the art of saw horses, for example, it can even be at least as wide as over half the height of the leg members.
The Poffenbaugh et al. patent discloses a knockdown sawhorse with hinged legs and brackets which are pivotally connected to the bottom of the work surface. In the Poffenbaugh et al. patent, the legs fold up against the work surface and the brackets can be disconnected so as to lie flat against the work surface also, but this patent differentiates from the claimed invention because the connections must be screwed and unscrewed which make for a more lengthy assembling process, as well as when in the disassembled form, the legs protrude out from the work surface hence being easily caught on various things when being hauled. Also, there is no handle element to aid in the transporting of the sawhorse when not in use.
The Kroger patent shows a folding sawhorse that is also collapsible with the braces for the legs being pivotally mounted to the legs with a bearing rod, hence when broken down, the brace remains attached to the legs unlike the presently claimed invention. Also, with the Kroger patent, the legs protrude beyond the outer edges of the work surface making it prone to catching or snagging the legs as the sawhorse is being moved.
The Weeks patent is directed to a sawhorse that wherein the legs are completely removably attached to the work surface, and the brace members are pivotally mounted to the legs but can be removed if necessary. Also, the work surface in the Weeks patent is narrow and totally removed from the rest of the sawhorse when compacted down for transporting and storage.
The Stansberry patent discusses a saw horse construction wherein the brace members are connected to the work surface at separate places and are connected to the legs through the use of chain connections. The work surface in the Stansberry patent is limited in size and does not offer a large surface upon which to work as it is long and narrow. Also, the rod used for support is attached to the work surface with a rivet.
The De Vries patent discloses a sawhorse assembly having a narrow work surface that is removably attached to the legs with bolts. Tie rods are used for support brackets and they too are connected to the work surface with a bolt. The tie rods are also connected to the legs with a slidably mounted crosspiece. Again, in order to break down this sawhorse for storage and transporting requires a significant amount of effort for the bolts as well as sliding off and unhooking the support crosspieces and tie rods.
The Chaput patent describes a collapsible sawhorse package which actually has a handle in place for ease in carrying. In the Chaput invention, once in the folded position, the work surface is no longer accessible for use as in the presently claimed invention. Also, the work surface is long and narrow, limiting its use. The legs in the Chaput invention have rods that are used to brace the legs to one another and no brace or bracket from the legs to the work surface.
The Hearn patent discloses a sawhorse that is primarily comprised of tubular elements with the connections being bolts. In Hearn, the work surface is tubular making it difficult to lay things on the work surface without them sliding off and the work surface is long and narrow as in the other patents as well. The brace assemblies are pivotally mounted by using bolts both at the connections to the legs as well as the connection to the work surface. With bolt assemblies, much more effort is needed to assemble and disassemble the sawhorse than in the presently claimed invention.